Nineteen Ninety Never

Maybe its the cold weather (or maybe its because I’ve been using those Bose noise-canceling headphones instead of iPod ear buds) but I’ve really been digging that spacey electro sound these days.

Also - did you know that 2009 was the International Year of Astronomy? I only found that out the other day via post about Simon Page’s Astronomy posters on Sci-Fi-O-Rama. I guess that makes Twenty-Ten the Year After The Year of Astronomy.

Anyways, The Diogenes Club dropped me some of their tracks via email a week about, and while I don’t like all of them “Tie Ourselves Around” has sound I like. You can listen to a few of their other tracks here.

And Kenji Kawai? That’s some good scene-stealing background music.

Kenji Kawai - Unnatural City

The Diogenes Club - Tie Ourselves Around

Remember The Infinity Gauntlet? What a seriously epic comic series. I mean, you’ve got Thanos so in love with the personification of Death that he wipes out half the universe with using the Infinity Gauntlet, a huge glove with with gems that give him power over the different aspects of the universe: Time, Space, Mind, Soul, Reality and Power. Looking at the picture above, I probably couldn’t tell you which gem gave which power.

I feel like one of the big yellows ones is probably “Power” though, and they’re all way better than the Captain Planet power rings.

If Thanos gave Death a USB key with his favorite songs on it, I feel like these would be included:

Death to the Throne - I Only Have Eyes For You

Notorious BIG - Mo Money Mo Problems (Thoko Remix)

Kidda - Everything Bad Is Good For You (TLGB Remix)

Human Contact - Loverider (The Girls Can Hear Us Technologic Remix)

Giovanca - Hypnotize You (NBTD ReMix)

Gotta Dance Dirty is one of my favorite blogs these days. That’s partly because they post some great tracks, and partly because they’ve got such a great header image on their site. I mean just look at it: King Tut rockin’ some sweet shades with a disco-ball background. Some over there has some serious design skillz.

Here are a couple of my faves that I’ve picked up from them over the past few months

Drake - Best I’ve Ever Had (Matamatics Remix)

Cryophonik - Essence (GREY GHOST and MADISON MARX Remix)

When you’ve finished listening, head over to GottaDanceDirty.com to see what other tracks you can score.

At first glance, Dr Hollywood and The Girls Can Hear Us come across as pretty similar -they both produce totally danceable, electro-rap and they pretty much look like the same guys in their promo shots.

I guess the major difference is that while Dr. Hollywood is from the sunshine state, The Girls Can Hear Us rep London, Ontario.

Dr. Hollywood - We Run LA (Dance Remix)

The Girls Can Hear Us - I Know This Song

Although I’ve been listening to that We Run LA track on my iPod almost non-stop this week, I think The Girls Can Hear Us edge them out for having also done a remix of Wouldn’t It Be Nice

The Girls Can Hear Us on Myspace and their official site

Dr. Hollywood on Myspace

If you’re not already hip to the Scotty Dynamo scene, grab his new album and hear what everyone’s been talking about.

His beats will are great, and he’s got  hilarious lyrics like “no that aint my number that’s my bank account.”

Scotty Dynamo - Dance All Night

Scotty Dynamo - Tik Tok (Kesha Cover)

Kesha - Tik Tok

I expect big things from this kid in twenty-ten. Check him and get his new album for free at ScottyDynamo.com

You gotta hand it to Adult Swim. First they brought us the Mouse & The Mask, an album by MF Doom and Dangermouse that was heavily influenced by Aqua Teen Hunger Force and other adult swim shows. And now they’ve dropped ATL RMX on us, a free album featuring southern hip-hop tracks remixed by electro artists. Young Jeezy? Check. Young Dro? Check. Two (count ‘em) Li’l Jon tracks on the mix? Check.

Lil Jon feat. Kee - Give It All You Got (Drums of Death Remix)

Young Jeezy - I Got This (El-P Remix)

OJ Da Juiceman feat. Gucci Man - Good Night (HEALTH Remix)

Grab all the ATL RMX tracks here.

I’m about 500 pages into the first book, The Reality Dysfunction, of Peter F. Hamilton’s “The Night’s Dawn Trilogy” and so far I’m loving it.

Part of the reason I like it is because some of the main characters, the “Edenists” are similar to the post-human Culture of Iain Banks’ books. One of the key differences is that instead of having their main technologies be based on computers, the Edenists grow their sentient starships and habitats out of a substance called “bitek” (that I can only assume is short for “bio-technology”). This gives both their habitats and ships personality and sentience, with the Edenists connected to them via a telepathic affinity bond.

Like a lot of the sci-fi I’ve been reading lately, its full of huge ideas and takes place on an epic scale. Reading it, I feel the same way that I do when I look at that picture of the astronaut floating above the earth.

I added the tracks from the XX below because they definitely have a spacey-feel. If you listen closely to the lyrics of “Shelter,” it almost sounds like they were written about the Edenists and their living technology. The original version of this track is pretty good, but I really like the the rework that Death to the Throne gives it.

The XX - Shelter (Death to the Throne Remix)

The XX - Basic Space (The Astronomer Remix)

Joachim Garraud - Back From Space (Frederico Fanchi Remix) (via the always-classy Palms Out)

One of the reasons I like writing Nineteen Ninety Never is because I get a ton of wicked music emailed to me everyday. I wish I had time to do a write up on all of it, but I’m just too busy.

Here are some good ones that I’ve received recently:

Le Le - Disco Monster

Le Le - Disco Monster (Seymor Bits Remix)

(I’ve been a big fan of Le Le ever since their video for the track Breakfast).

LMFAO - LA LA LA (Hyper Crush Remix)

I know Halloween was a few weeks ago, but c’mon! Nothing says “Disco Monster” like Vampirella.

Anyways…thanks for reading 199X! If you’ve got any music for me, send the mp3 to [email protected]!

Vampires are definitely hot right now,  I’ve always thought they were cool and I can’t believe it took me this long to write a vampire-themed post.

The first time I heard TiMO MAAS’ track ‘Help Me,’ I totally loved the haunting vocals. Little did I know that they were from Kellis, who also went on to do backing vocals on my favorite Andrew 3000 track, ‘Dracula’s Wedding.’

As cool as it being a vampire would be, the sleepless nights would just kill me. I mean, sure you’d be out sneaking around and sucking blood but after a while of just being up in the middle of the night you’d be bored.

TiMO MAAS - Help Me (feat. Kellis)

Andre 3000 - Dracula’s Wedding (feat. Kellis)

Blänk - 3 am

Harris Robotis - Up All Night

Harris Robotis - Up All Night (Knightlife Remix)

Image courtesy of the always-class Blonde zombies.

I’d say that half of the music I like is pure, decadent electro that doesn’t really require much thought. The other half is music that tells a story, and that’s why I like this track from Oddioblender. Give it a listen and let the story play out.

Oddioblender - Psychics Don’t Need Hooks

After listening to it, I totally started remember Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid. Remember how he read your memory card, and the only way to beat him was to unplug your controller, and plug it into the other port? Truly a memorable moment, and definitely some fourth-wall breaking shiznit right there.

You know who else doesn’t need a hook? Jay-z, that’s who.

Jay-z - No Hook (Team Teamwork Meeting the Owl Remix) (from their nerdtastic Ocarina of Rhyme album)